


Snowed In Cruisin'

by ryukoishida



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:52:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2716214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryukoishida/pseuds/ryukoishida
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rin and Sousuke find themselves stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, they think of creative ways to kill time while being forced to stay inside the car.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snowed In Cruisin'

**Author's Note:**

> That cheesy stuck-in-the-car-in-the-snowstorm AU that no one needs. Just fluff; nothing but unadulterated fluff.

            "Are we going to die? We're going to die, aren't we? We're going to die out here in the middle of nowhere and nobody's going to find our bodies until the snow melts away, which might take like, the entire spring, and shit, whose stupid idea is it to drive out into the country in this fucking snowstorm anyway?"

 

            "Yours, Rin. It was your idea," his companion reminds him from the passenger's seat, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as he releases a long-suffering sigh. "I've already told you we should delay our trip for at least a day, but no, you never listen to the meteorology major."

 

            "Studying stars and shit doesn't make you an expert, Sousuke," Rin grits out, trying for the umpteenth time to start his rented Yaris, but like the many previous attempts, the engine merely stutters noisily like an exhausted old man too tired to go on and then proceeds to make a dying whale sound. Not that Rin knows what a dying whale sounds like, but he imagines it'd be something similar. "Goddamnit." He shoves at the steering wheel in annoyance, which achieves nothing, in Sousuke's opinion, so he only watches silently while also being secretly amused by his lover's exasperated huffs.

 

            The snowstorm they're stuck in doesn't even seem like such a bad thing anymore, if Sousuke gets to see more of Rin being irrationally annoyed at inanimate objects.

 

            "No, but it does make me right," Sousuke replies calmly, checking his phone's GPS to see their location. From what he can tell, the closest residence is three miles away, and with the fierce wind and heavy snowfall outside, tracking there with the limited supplies they have would be far too dangerous. It'll be safer for them to stay in the car until the storm passes over. Sousuke is certain that this storm is going to last for the next little while.

 

            "Tow truck, Sousuke, call the tow truck!" There's a spark of hope in Rin's eyes the moment he thinks of this, and Sousuke hates to be the one to break it to him, but someone's got to do it.

 

            "I can't get any reception," Sousuke taps the screen of his phone. "It's been sketchy on our way here, but now it's just non-existent."

 

            "That's it. We're going to freeze to death here," Rin wails, voice muffled when his forehead collides with the top of the steering wheel in a dull thud. Sousuke rolls his eyes; he sometimes forgets how dramatic the red-head can get.

 

            "No, we won't," Sousuke counters matter-of-factly, "We have enough emergency supplies to last us at least three days - more if we ration them properly."

 

            "Emergency... supplies," Rin gradually reclines until he's sitting at a proper position again, murmuring the two words as if they are some new invention he's never heard of. "When - ?"

 

            "When you decide to be an idiot and insist on going," Sousuke sighs. He seems to be doing that a lot since they'd been stuck here. "I wasn't going to let us drive into a goddamn storm without some kind of backup plan, so I threw the package into the back of the car when you weren't looking."

 

            "Sousuke, you..." He turns to look at his lover so briskly that Sousuke is worried he might have hurt his neck. "You are a savior. A god. I love you." Rin leans forward, about to give him a kiss of gratitude, which he has thought of prolonging into a make-out session (because how else are they going to pass the time? It's only five in the afternoon!), but he forgets that he is still strapped in by his seatbelt, so what results is Rin yelping curses when the material cuts into his abdomen and chest.

 

            "Oh Rin," Sousuke laughs, unable to stop now that it has trickled out, and if the sound isn't so compelling and the teal of his eyes as affectionate when he ruffles his hair, Rin may have been a little mad. Instead, Sousuke shuffles closer, laughter still lingering, clicks Rin's seatbelt free so the other man can meet him half way, and then they're kissing, Sousuke's hand winding into Rin's hair to loosen the tiny ponytail at the nape of his neck until the elastic falls off and he can run his fingers freely through Rin's fiery locks.

 

            For a few blissful seconds, Rin isn't thinking about the fact that they're stuck in the wilderness of Hokkaido with nothing but white blanketing their surroundings, or that the possibility of spending the night in this car is very high, but that Sousuke's lips feel generously plush and warm against his own, and that the occasional sharp tugs of his hair send jolts of sparks behind his closed eyelids, his breaths running a little on the erratic side.

 

            When their lips part, hearts pounding and their foreheads touching, Sousuke murmurs with quiet mirth that only displays signs of such in the playful sheen of his eyes, "You know, we wouldn't even need the supplies if you've listened to me in the first place."

 

            "One compliment is all you're getting from me," Rin warns, a thin brow rising up in challenge. "Don't push it."

 

            "Oh, I wouldn't dare," Sousuke replies with a subtle smirk, and he shifts back to his side of the vehicle, his gaze already drifting to the view beyond the other side of the window, though Rin can't figure out what's interesting about the outside that's gotten his lover's rapt attention.

 

            "You can pretend we're camping," Sousuke suggests, face still angling towards his side of the window but Rin can see a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. That smug bastard.

 

            "Tch. Who in their right mind would go camping in the middle of winter?" Rin blows a loose strand of red hair away from his face impatiently, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel along to some rhythm in his head.

 

            "People go ice-fishing all the time," Sousuke says, though he can't imagine the entertainment value in sitting stiffly around in the cold and waiting for fish to stupidly chomp on baits to their inevitable deaths. "And sometimes, they stay overnight with a tent and everything."

 

            "Yeah? Well, good for them." Rin slumps back with a deep exhale, eyes closed though his body still seems to be quite tense.

 

            "Sorry, just trying to lighten up the atmosphere," Sousuke turns to look at him, and sensing the movement, Rin opens his eyes warily, the usually hard-edged teal of Sousuke's irises softened by a quiet fondness and Rin can feel his cheeks growing red.

 

            "I know." He briskly faces the other way as if something outside has suddenly caught his interest; they've only gotten together for two months, but they've been friends for years and still, Rin's not used to the way sometimes Sousuke looks at him, always catches him by surprise - that soft, tender, loving gaze, without inhibition or fear.

 

            Sousuke's hand captures Rin's restless fingers, "Rin, it'll be okay. As soon as the weather clears up and we get reception back, we'll call for help. Oh, and we should probably ring your aunt and uncle to let them know we're all right."

 

            The entire point of this trip, after all, is to visit Rin's relatives upon their enthusiastic invitation. Rin was supposed to bring Sousuke along back to Iwatobi for a Christmas gathering during their winter break, as most - if not all - of his mother's side of the family will attend the event; at least, that was the plan before Rin mentioned that Sousuke was coming as well.

 

            Over the phone, his mother paused - it was a very brief, almost imperceptible moment of hesitation - before saying in a hushed, apologetic tone, "Rin...I think it's best if you come back alone."

 

            "But why? You know Sousuke, and yeah he might not be the most, um, personable...person, but you know how he is." Rin still didn't get it yet, but his body tensed up the slightest as if it could sense what was going on before his mom had a chance to say anything.

 

            "I know Sousuke-kun is a good boy, and I know you're very happy with him. I'm glad, Rin, I really am," Rin could hear the smile in his mother's voice; he could also hear a 'but' at the end of that statement, and he was right. "But you see, some of your aunts and uncles, they... they don't really understand..."

 

            "Oh, you mean they're homophobic jerks," it finally clicks in Rin's mind, and his hand on the receiver tightens, frame trembling with anger.

 

            "Rin-"

 

            "It's okay, mom, I get it," Rin spoke up, not wanting to hear more even though he knew this was not his mother's fault. "In that case, count me out as well. Sousuke and I will come visit another time."

 

            A few days after that, Rin received a phone call from his Aunt Etsuko - his mother's youngest sister, and if Rin was being honest, one of the more open-minded family members who also happened to be Rin's favourite aunt - who informed him that she had heard about the exchange between Rin and his mom, and she insisted that the two youngsters should stay with her and her husband in Hokkaido for a change of scenery.

 

            It didn't take much for Rin to agree, desperate to get out of the suffocating city as he was, and so on the second day of their winter break, with their suitcases packed to the brim, the two of them rented a car and were on their merry way, until they got stranded by the uncooperative weather, and well, here they are.

 

            "What are you thinking?" Sousuke is looking forward now, but his hand has sought out for Rin's, holds it between them and rubs soothing circles on the back of his hand.

 

            Rin shakes his head with a tiny smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Oh, you know, just about what a dumb idea this is after all."

 

            "What are you talking about?" Sousuke gasps with exaggeration. "I'm having the time of my life here! This is all I want out of my winter break: spending some quality time with my boyfriend in the snowy wilderness. Kind of romantic when you think about it, no?"

 

            "Shut up, asshole."

 

            "Oh, so first I'm a god, and now I'm an asshole? Thanks for nothing." Rin shoves at the dark-haired man's head half-heartedly with a reluctant grin and Sousuke merely chuckles, the sound deep and resounding in the small space of the car.

 

            "What should we do for the time being then?" Rin asks, clicking his tongue impatiently.

 

            Evening is already approaching, the heaven, a swirling blue-grey warning of a night sky of black-red, is thick with clouds and specks of white, and the storm seems like it has no intention of dying down.

 

            "Hmm... I have a few ideas," Sousuke turns to him with a poignant grin, teal irises glimmering with mischief.

 

            "No."

 

            "But I haven't said anything yet," Sousuke grumbles.

 

            "I know how your dirty mind works, so the answer is 'no'," Rin chastises him, but he's doing it with a tiny curve to his lips.

 

            "Your terrible mind-reading skills aside, I was actually going to suggest that we move to the back of the car..." Sousuke sees Rin's eyebrows rise, daring him to go on, and he continues with a chuckle, "...to play cards, Rin. Sheesh. I think you're the one who has the mind in the gutter."

 

            And so for the next two hours, they manage to distract themselves with playing various card games and turning the dials of the radio to see if they're able to catch any signals. So far, they've only found a channel playing country music mostly interspersed with scratchy white noises that make them wince, so they decide to shut it off all together.

 

            They're lucky consider the fact that the only thing that's dead in this car is the engine; the battery is still running so they keep the heater on, but as evening descends into night, the wind outside howls like a vicious beast or an angry spirit, tearing at the immobile vehicle and dragging its claws across the surface with unsettling moans of metal scratching against metal. Despite the whirring of warm, stale air being blasted out, Sousuke and Rin are still shivering, wisps of cold breeze somehow winding its way through the tight gaps of the car.

 

            Other than the windshield and rear window which are still somewhat clear due to the hardworking wipers that are squeaking rhythmically, the other windows have long since been covered with densely packed snow, not that it'd make any difference because the blue digits glowing on the dashboard tells them it's nearing eleven o'clock at night.

 

            Somehow, their mindless chatting, munching on too-sweet granola bars, and throwing each other bits of goldfish crackers and then catching them in their mouths, laughing when one of them missed, have let them pass the time quickly without them realizing it. Yet now as their eyelids become heavy with the day's stress and exhaustion, and their bodies drowning in temperature that is only slightly higher than early spring's, their minds can't help but wander back to their present problem.

 

            Rin snuggles closer to Sousuke, his head laying on the other man's shoulder and an arm lazily winding around Sousuke's middle as he heaves a small sigh, sure that the interior has become so cold that he's starting to see his breaths in puffs of white that dissipates half a second later. They found a hilariously cliché red and white checker-patterned fleece throw in the back trunk earlier on and has made the best use for it, wrapping the small blanket around both of them, the material barely covering the width of two full-grown men, but they made it work.

 

            It helps a little, yet as they hear the howling outside gradually lessens into something less threatening, the temperature inside the car seems to have dropped even more. They are tired and sleepy but they are afraid to fall into a deep slumber they won't be able to wake from.

 

            His fingers are freezing (so are his toes but there is little he can do about that) and desperate to seek warmth, Rin slips a hand underneath the many layers Sousuke is wearing and lays the flat of his palm gingerly against the warm skin of his abdomen, but not without the man's alarmed protest.

 

            "Riiiiin," he whines, trying to squirm away but can't due to the limited space of the car - yes, Sousuke Yamazaki is actually capable of making a sound like that. Rin stores this bit of information in his head for later use. "What the hell are you doing? Your hand is fucking freezing!"

 

            "Exactly," Rin murmurs against his arm, sound slightly muffled as he grins into Sousuke's jacket. "Don't be stingy and give me some of your body heat. Sharing is caring, you know." As if to accentuate his point, he drags his nails lightly across Sousuke's stomach, earning him another low whine and side glare from those dark teal eyes, but Rin can see the corner of his lips quivering upwards, struggling to keep a straight face.

 

            "Stay still then," Sousuke scoffs, pulling the hand that's still underneath his clothes out and holds it against his other hand as he blow warm air on his fingers reddened by cold, rubbing them back and forth in a meager effort to keep his blood circulating. "I'm spoiling you too much," he shakes his head fondly and Rin hums in contented agreement. "Better?" Sousuke glances down at his lover with a sort of helpless expression rarely seen on the usually stoic man.

 

            "Much," Rin cranes his neck back and plants a sloppy kiss on his chin, giggling when Sousuke makes a face.

 

            "Spoiled," he says again, kissing the top of Rin's fire-red hair.

 

            A few minutes of silence go by, the only sound is their steady breathing and the dying storm's sighs outside.

 

            "Rin," it's a soft call, barely audible in the dark. He shifts a little but makes no reply. "Rin, are you awake?"

 

            The red head makes an indiscernible noise, half-way between an irritated moan and an incomplete yawn. "What?"

 

            "Can I ask you a question?"

 

            Rin's eyes are closed but from the way he wrinkles his nose, Sousuke can tell that he'd be rolling his eyes under any other circumstances. "You already did. Don't stop at one."

 

            "What made you change your mind about going back to Iwatobi to visit your mom and Gou?" Sousuke goes back to keeping Rin's hands warm while he waits for his answer.

 

            He never mentioned his conversation with his mom to Sousuke, just told him briefly that there was a last minute change regarding their vacation plans without so much as an explanation, so of course Sousuke was bewildered though he hadn't voiced out his concerns until now.

 

            Until they have ran out of words and smiles of disguise and too tired to keep up the mask of indifference.

 

            "I just... wanted to go somewhere else for the holidays. I've never been to Hokkaido before, can you believe it? I can always go back to Iwatobi another time."

 

            "Liar." Sousuke doesn't even hesitate when he flicks Rin's nose lightly.

 

            "I don't know what to tell you then," Rin mutters, head lowered.

 

            "The truth, Rin. It's not difficult."

 

            Rin pauses and slowly opens his eyes, blinking in the semi-darkness and trying to find the right words in the cradle of silence and twilight.

 

            "My family - extended family, I mean - doesn't know about you and me being in a relationship, and..." And it shouldn't have mattered, Rin thinks angrily, for the moment forgetting about the cold chaffing his exposed skin.

 

            "And your mom doesn't want to make the situation awkward for us if we get there when we won't know what to expect from these people?" Sousuke ventures.

 

            "Something like that," Rin only mutters with distaste.

 

            “I wish you’d told me earlier,” Sousuke murmurs after a moment, a hand carding through Rin’s locks reverently.

 

            Rin makes another unenthusiastic little noise - a quick exhale through the nose - and says, “Why? It’s not like you can do anything about it.”

 

            “You’re right,” Sousuke agrees, “People will say and think what they want, and neither of us can control that. But I can see how upset you are -- “ He notices Rin is about to interrupt so he continues quickly, “-- and don’t fucking tell me you’re not. You say you don’t care what other people think, and maybe that’s true to some degree, but they’re your family.”

 

            “ _Extended_ family,” Rin feels the need to reiterate. He lowers his head to bury himself further into the blanket but it’s not working. He has nowhere to hide.

 

            “The bottom line is, you care.”  The large hands that cover Rin’s shivering ones tighten slightly.

 

            Rin swallows, wanting to pull away but knowing he won’t - can’t because he’s become so dependent on that warmth now.

 

            “I... didn’t want to worry you,” he finally says, voice almost getting swallowed up by the blanket.

 

            “You not telling me anything worries me even more, you idiot,” Sousuke nudges the top of Rin’s head with his nose. “So don’t hide anything like that from me anymore, okay? Even if I can’t provide a solution, the least I can do is lend my ear and a shoulder to cry on.”

 

            “I didn’t cry!” Rin insists indignantly, looking up at him through his fiery tresses and pouting in a way that a five-year-old would take pointers from.

 

            “It was just an expression, Rin,” Sousuke pets his hair soothingly but a teasing grin pulls at his lips; Rin’s scowl deepens but he doesn’t reply. Perhaps too tired; perhaps in a way, Sousuke is right.

 

            For a long moment, neither of them speak but the whispering, winding breeze outside, and Sousuke thinks Rin might have fallen asleep, a breath releases from his mouth in a soft sigh as he checks the time again.

 

            Time seems to stretch on longer than physically reasonable in this semi-darkness haloed by the fluttering white, the blue glow of the numbers ticking forward in slow motion, dragging its feet for reasons unknown.

 

            “I will,” Rin’s soft murmur is almost lost in the freezing air. His frame gives a corresponding shiver and Sousuke maneuvers to wind his arm as carefully as possible around his shaking body without dislocating the perfect position of their blanket; he rubs his arm repeatedly in an attempt to keep him warm. He doesn’t know if it’s working, but it’s something to do.

 

            “What was that?”

 

            “I will tell you next time,” Rin buries his head against Sousuke’s chest to hide his face. He doesn’t understand how his cheeks are still capable to flush so hotly in this temperature. “I mean, if it makes you happy.”

 

            “I just want you to know that you can trust me.”

 

            “I know that, stupid. And I do - trust you.”

 

            Words are getting clumsy now; neither of them are very good at expressing themselves in the first place, and now they’re tripping all over each other - language that hinders, tongue-tied. They know when they should just stop talking.

 

            Sousuke lowers his head, and Rin knows to turn and tilt his head to meet him wordlessly, lips touching in such a delicate pressure that Rin wants nothing more than to press harder, get closer.

 

            “Mm. Good.”  Sousuke whispers when they manage to part, the silvery mist from their mouths meets, mingles in between them in a merging dance, and dies away.

 

            “More,” Rin whimpers low in his throat, a hand escaping from Sousuke’s warm grasp and has instead found its way underneath his layers of clothing again, fingers dragging suggestively across his skin from belly to hipbone. Sousuke shudders, unsure whether it’s from the cold or Rin’s tactics - probably both.

 

            “I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to get naked in this car,” Sousuke chuckles as Rin keeps trying to kiss him but ends up giving him nibbles on his chin and jaw since he can’t reach Sousuke’s lips.

 

            “We don’t have to,” Rin’s other hand travels downward and stops at his inner thigh, running it up and down there while he shifts slightly so that he can kiss the dark-haired man’s neck, switching between light bites and soothing licks.

 

            “R-Rin,” Sousuke’s voice shakes, a hand digging up into Rin’s hair. “What’s with you suddenly?”

 

            “Wanna be warm,” is Rin’s reply as he finally succeeds in landing a kiss by the corner of Sousuke’s mouth, making the other man laugh, the sound smoky and warm and Rin wants to swallow it all.

 

            “Come on, Rin,” Sousuke gathers both of Rin’s hands in a firm grip and pins him down, not that Rin is giving him a hard fight despite the half-hearted glare he sends him and a petulant pout that can rival a kindergartener’s. Sousuke grins down at him, shaking his head helplessly.

 

            When Rin continues to struggle uselessly, and finally sighs with a deflated scowl, Sousuke lowers his head so that he can speak right into Rin’s ear. “Later, when we’re certain we won’t freeze to death.”

 

            That promise shouldn’t send anticipating sparks down Rin’s spine, especially given the half-mocking, half-serious language that Sousuke uses, but that’s precisely the reaction Sousuke is capable of igniting in him regardless of the situation.

 

            Rin can’t tell whether or not this would turn into a disadvantage, and he decides that he doesn’t really care.

 

            “Fine,” Rin relents with a small sigh and slumps back against Sousuke’s arm once more. “Better be worth the wait.”

 

            Sousuke grins, planting a playful kiss on top of Rin’s head. “I assure you it will be.”

 

            The night continues to drag its pace, but eventually the two men fall into an uneasy slumber embraced by the coldness of the air and the shared warmth of each other.

 

            They wake up to obnoxiously loud knocking against the window, muffled shouts, and blinding white light blasting through the frost-crusted windshield.

 

            “Th’ fuck?” Rin mutters blearily, blinking rapidly as he pulls himself away from Sousuke, his limbs feeling like lead caused by sleeping in one position for too long.

 

            “Rin, look!” Sousuke must have woken up earlier because he’s already rubbing the steam off the window with the sleeve of his jacket and his eyes are bright with energy. The scene is blurry from the fogged up glass, but Rin can see shapes hovering beside their vehicle, and indistinguishable voices are mixed in with the crunching of fresh snow beneath stomping feet.

 

            “Oh thank fuck! Somebody found us!”

 

            “Guess we didn’t need to wait until spring, huh?” Sousuke smirks at his lover, but Rin only slaps his arm once before leaning over Sousuke’s lap to attempt to open the door from the inside.

 

            It doesn’t budge.

 

            Rin shoves at the door with all his remaining strength, leaning against the metal with the weight of his entire body and growling menacingly at the stubborn door when it remains stuck.

 

            Sousuke tries to muffle his laughter from behind his arm; he doesn’t try very hard.

 

            “Just sit tight! We’ll have you out lickety split!” A gravelly voice calls out cheerfully from outside.

 

            Rin collapses on Sousuke’s lap with a defeated sigh. His legs and arms are itching to stretch out and even though it’ll probably be colder out there than the interior of the car, the air he’s been breathing seems so stale at this point that fresh air - though it may well be below zero degrees - is too welcoming for Rin to resist or complain.

 

            However, there’s nothing else for them to do at the moment but wait.

 

            “I’m kind of glad we’ve decided to come here after all.”

 

            “Oh yeah?” Rin cracks an eye open suspiciously, expecting Sousuke to say more. “The snowstorm didn’t leave you with a mental scar or anything?”

 

            “Like I said,” Sousuke smiles down at him, the teal of his irises so full of affection and warmth that Rin is rendered momentarily speechless, “I’ll be happy regardless of where we are, as long as we’re in it together.”

 

            For a full minute, Rin can’t even speak, just letting Sousuke’s fingers comb through his chaotic hair. Then he looks up with a smarmy grin, “You are so grossly sappy sometimes, it gives me second-hand embarrassment, man.”

 

            “Fuck off,” Sousuke shoves at him lightly and he almost rolls off of Sousuke’s lap, laughter bursting out easily from deep within, but Sousuke catches him just as he’s about to fall over.

 

            Rin’s laughter is addictive, like the rest of him, Sousuke muses, and he wonders when he has become such a sentimental fool.


End file.
